One of Them Girls by Cala Riley (the gingerbread man read aloud txt) 📕

her with a milkshake and she asked are you jealous?” I tell him, trying to rein in my anger.

Who does this bitch think she is?

“Ugh, that means she’s at Momma’s House,” he says wistfully.

“What the hell is Momma’s House, and why is she hitting on you?” I grit out, unable to hold back anymore.

Xavier laughs. “Momma’s House is a diner. And trust me, Tinsley isn’t hitting on me. Your jealousy is cute though.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you have nothing to worry about.” He drops the shirt back into the basket and sits on the bed, facing me. “Tinsley is unapologetically in love with her boyfriend. You have no reason to worry,” he says reassuringly.

“Was there anything ever between you?”

He sighs. “What do you mean?”

“Did you two ever do anything? Were you in love with her? Because I’m sorry, I have a hard time believing all you’ve ever been is friends with someone as beautiful as her,” I say harshly.

“I don’t see why this matters.” He frowns.

“It matters to me. You’ve been avoiding this conversation. It’s time we’ve had it.”

I meant it too. While our sex life has been off the chain, he is still reluctant to talk about her. That can only mean one thing, but I need to hear it from him.

“You want me to be honest?”

“Yes,” I demand.

“Okay, Tinsley and I have always been friends first. When we met, our fathers pushed us together. They saw it as a business deal. What they didn’t see is that Tinsley already knew who she wanted to be with. Did we try dating to please our fathers? Yes. Did it work out? No. Did we kiss? Yes, but if I recall the line, it felt like kissing a sibling was tossed out.” He raises a brow. “You. Have. Nothing. To. Worry. About,” he says, slowly.

“And her boyfriend is fine with her talking to you, a guy she’s kissed?”

“Fin knows he’s the only one who has her attention.” He laughs. “The dude is cocky as hell. We might not be each other’s favorite people, but we respect that we both mean something to Tinsley.” He stands and grabs another shirt. “Now can you please stop trying to pick a fight? You have nothing to worry about,” he says as he folds the shirt and adds it to the pile.

I set the phone back down onto the desk and take a deep breath. He says I have nothing to worry about, but why do I feel like I do?

“You’re right. Sorry. I think I need some fresh air.”

I stand, moving from his bed, but he grabs my hand, pulling me back.

“Babe, tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing. You said you have nothing going on with her and I believe you. Besides, it’s in the past, right? It’s not like she’s right here.”

“Even if she was, you wouldn’t have to worry. I don’t think about her like that anymore. She’s my friend. Nothing more.”

“Is that why you asked her to plan our first date?”

His eyes widen. “What?”

“When I posted that picture of us from the field and tagged you in it, she commented on it. She said something like she knew I would love it and that you were doing good. So did she plan it?”

“No. Not really. I was having trouble figuring out where to take you that would mean more than dinner and a movie. I called her to ask for her advice. Hell, her and Sage helped.”

Adding the third girl’s name isn’t helping my temper, it flaring worse with each moment.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were already so worked up about her, I figured it was best not to mention it. I’m sorry that you think I didn’t plan that date, but I did. They only helped lead me in the right direction. All the work? That was all me. I didn’t even see the comment or I would have explained it then.”

“I deleted it. I didn’t want to taint the memory.”

“Listen.” He leans in pressing a kiss to my lips. “We can keep arguing about this, but at the end of the day, I can’t change the past. Yes, we had a very minor thing, but it’s over now. It has been for a long time. Long before you. She’s still my friend, though. I won’t stop being her friend just like as much as Finley may hate it, she won’t stop being mine.”

“I didn’t say you had to stop being her friend.”

He throws up his hands, turning from me. “I don’t know what you want from me. What can I say to make this better?”

A real commitment, I think to myself.

I can’t say that though. He said from the beginning he didn’t want serious. Until he makes that decision, I’m stuck in the friends with benefits circle.

“Right now? Nothing. I just need some time to myself. I’ll call you later?”

He lets out the breath he was holding, turning to me before pulling me in. He presses a kiss to my lips.

“I’ll be here. No matter what. Take all the time you need.”

Walking out of his room, I can’t help the dread that fills me. I feel like our relationship is a ticking time bomb. One wrong move and it can detonate and destroy everything.

I don’t think I would survive it either.

Xavier

It’s been two weeks and I don’t know what’s going on with Cassi. Ever since the day she read the text from Tinsley, she’s been distant.

Sure, she is still spending time with me, but it’s different. Sure, we still kiss and have sex, but when it’s done, she makes excuses of why she has to leave.

It’s killing me.

I’ve tried talking to her about it, but she’s made it clear she doesn’t want to discuss it.

Part of me wants to ask Tinsley what to do, but the other part feels like that would be a betrayal to Cassi.

When did my life get so complicated?

“You look like you’re sucking on something sour. What’s wrong, bud?” Jack